Love Is in the Air Bangkok Airport

This programme contains some strong language

-Bangkok Airport's like no other airport.

-Welcome to Thailand!

This is my best smiling!

It's where East meets West...

Ching, ching, ching. Ching, ching, ching.

..Buddhist meets backpacker...

That way to the beach.

..and traveller meets trouble.

You'll never see me in Thailand ever again.

No, no.

-Yes.

-And if the culture seems strange...

-Free hugs?

-..the language seems foreign...

Sawasdee ka.

..and you're 6,000 miles from home...

I'm stuck in Bangkok.

..don't panic. There's an army of airport staff

just waiting to help you out.

One way...

How may I help you?

-HE LAUGHS

-..or another.

Get in the line.

So whether it's your gateway

to a million once-in-a-lifetime experiences...

It's all about love, love, love and love.

..or just the ticket to a good old-fashioned holiday nightmare...

-Look at all the cancelled flights!

-..this is your final call.

Very happy, everyone.

-Welcome...

-Passport, please.

..to Bangkok Airport.

# I'm addicted to you... #

Tonight at Bangkok Airport, all you need is love.

Oh, my God, I could give you a kiss right now, man.

Romance blossoms for immigration officers Bert and Nat...

He is my boyfriend.

But don't tell anybody, OK?

Nathan has a surprise in store for his mum and dad...

My boyfriend is here, so I'll be introducing them to him.

# I'm addicted to you... #

And will a nip and tuck help Justin land the girl of his dreams?

I'm not ashamed or embarrassed.

Yeah, I am single

and I hope that one day I will find somebody special.

It's one of the biggest days in the Thai calendar

and love is in the air.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's all about getting down, baby! Getting down, baby!

It's not just the passengers who are feeling frisky this Valentine's Day.

The staff, too, are all loved up.

I love my work, I love my job, I love tourists.

Happy Valentine's!

-It's all about love.

-Up at check-in, Barry has a not-so-secret admirer.

He is very handsome, yeah.

His boyish good looks haven't escaped the eye

of his colleague, Beam.

So...

-I like him, he is chirpy, and...

-Chirpy!

I want to hug him, I want to pinch him.

Hi, you again.

Over in immigration,

Captain Jack has just married the girl of his dreams.

My wife and I, we are happy together. Yeah.

She loves me more than words that I can say.

Jack proposed in dramatic fashion.

I go to my girlfriend's workplace

and I pretend that I am faint in front of her.

And she come to help me, and after that I propose to her,

ask her to marry me. Yeah.

Jack knows a successful relationship, like entering

a new country, is just a matter of obeying the rules.

I kiss her before leaving house.

Kiss her before sleep.

And if I stick to the rule,

I will have no problem with her.

But if it's romance you're after,

look no further than visa on arrivals.

Welcome to Thailand.

Working side-by-side has brought Captain Bert and Officer Nat close.

But how close?

Oh, that is a difficult question.

Whoo...

He is my boyfriend.

But don't tell anybody, OK?

SHE LAUGHS

We didn't tell anyone.

Yeah. A bit secret.

But now, it's not a secret.

Bert.

Just cut it off.

HE SPEAKS IN THAI

So now their secret's out, kind of,

how will they celebrate Valentine's Day?

I cannot guess what he's going to do. I think he's not romantic.

You know, Valentine's Day, blah, blah, blah.

But it's OK, I think, yeah.

It's not important for me.

But Nat's wrong. Bert's got something up his sleeve.

She is a girl

and I think I must do some romantic thing to her on this day.

I think I'm going to come back home, and my boyfriend, he just say,

"Happy Valentine!"

Yeah, that's it.

Bert's going to introduce Nat

to someone else who's very special in his life.

My grandmum is coming to the airport tonight.

She's coming from San Francisco.

I think I will bring her to Nat's counter.

We keep it our secret but I think she will be surprised.

No, I do not think...

He didn't tell me about anything.

Nat's in for a big surprise when Granny tips up,

and they say romance is dead.

Not everyone's feeling the love this Valentine's Day.

Tal from Cardiff missed his flight when it left on time

and left him in the queue.

I came here earlier, I came, like, six o'clock. Checked in.

It was the immigration side - soon as I got into immigration,

and the luggage side, and check in -

that took almost 45 minutes, at the most.

They should have waited for me, to be fair, but they didn't.

The plane was still there, the staff were still there -

they just couldn't put me on.

I was just gutted.

There's another flight checking in at six,

but Tal's run out of cash - he'll have to blag his way onto it.

Just going to tell them to get me my flight back.

I ain't going to move until they say, like.

I'm just going to stick to my story and just say, "Look,

"I've come here on time, you guys left,

"the plane was still here, so..."

It's not really my fault.

-Play the sob story.

-HE LAUGHS

I wonder if you could help me. I'm in desperate need of help here.

Oh, my God.

Surely there's something you can do here, cos this is not my fault.

Is this for real, or...?

Wow. You guys don't want to help me, man.

The airline offers him the chance to transfer his ticket,

but it's still going to cost.

How much is it going to be?

Oh, my God!

This is what I tried...

Yeah, I know, I understand. I appreciate you helping me, anyway.

OK, I'm going to have to struggle to get this money.

Oh, man, not good, man. It's not good.

8,000 baht, she wants.

It's a joke.

Flipping heck.

What am I going to bloody do?

Shit!

It's only around 150 quid, but right now Tal's not got it.

So now, I'm going to have to start

making some phone calls, or something.

-It's just

-BLEEP

-pathetic.

And if he can't get it in the next four hours, he'll be going nowhere.

It's a joke. Shit is a joke.

Perhaps what Tal needs is a big hug.

Hello, free hug?

And today, tourist ambassador Sornrawee

is giving them out for free.

Free hug?

Oh, Happy Valentine's!

Free hugs?

Hello.

Today is the Valentine's Day. I've been trying to tell them many things

about Thailand, and give them the gift, a precious gift from Thailand.

Hello, free hugs?

Hello.

Free hugs.

Free hugs!

For me, Valentine's Day, people like to say that it is the big day of love.

I will like to say love to everyone, and to you also, and to others.

Who could resist a free hug from Sornrawee on Valentine's Day?

Hello, ma'am. Happy Valentine's.

Hello, happy Valentine's!

Ma'am?

Hello.

Hello.

Free hugs.

Why?

SHE LAUGHS

There seem to be more shrugs than hugs

from passing passengers, until...

-Hi.

-Hi, thank you.

-Wow!

This is love in Thai.

-Wow!

-Yeah, we are on honeymoon!

-You are on honeymoon?

-Yeah!

Hello, ma'am. Happy Valentine's.

It takes a pair of newlyweds

to finally share the love with Sornrawee.

This one's for you.

-Ah!

-OK, take a photo together.

More than 80,000 passengers pass through Bangkok Airport every day.

And not all of them can get a hug, that would be impossible.

My name is Justin Hofman.

I'm here for the whole cosmetic surgery experience.

Justin's hoping a nip and tuck will bring him luck with the ladies.

Pook helped arrange his trip.

Yeah, they come to Thailand a lot.

You can come for a holiday, and also here it is cheaper.

And also, the doctor is good here.

When I go out on a date, I'm just not happy with the way that I look.

I've got an opportunity here to do something about it,

and I say why not go for it?

It's not strange for men to do face-lift

because everybody can do face-lifts.

It just makes you good-looking, man or a woman.

Only if you do implant, is this strange.

Having done some research, this was the place to come to.

I could have done it in Australia,

but I wouldn't have gotten as much bang for my buck.

There you go. Hello.

-G'day, Justin.

-Justin.

Hello, Justin, my name is Pook. So happy to see you!

-Oh, thank you very much, excellent.

-Now we walk to the car.

-Fantastic!

-All right, great. Fantastic, let's go.

-OK.

-Are we ready to go?

I'm so glad you guys are here

-because I'm way out of my depth right now.

-You nervous?

-Don't tell me that.

-Oh, well(!)

Well, no, not nervous - just, it's all so new for me.

No, no - I mean, you're not nervous about surgery,

-I think you're nervous about Thailand.

-Oh!

-Because we have so many things here, especially women.

-Oh, ay, now...

-Uh-huh...

-THEY LAUGH

A staggering two and a half million people

come to Thailand every year for surgery.

Justin's holiday with a face-lift has cost him around £5,000

and for that, Pook throws in a little light flirting.

-Aren't you married?

-No, no.

-Really?

Oh, my God, you are a single guy and come -

the Thai girls really impressing on you then.

Well, we'll see, we'll see.

I don't know, I'm going to be all bruised up, and...

I can say 100%, if you walk, honestly, they will say,

"Oh, handsome guy! Come here!" They will be...you a lot.

Well, maybe when I'm healed up, after the surgery, maybe.

We'll see how it goes.

-I will warn you one thing, have so many girls, a lot.

-Yeah.

You have to take a look for... Not only take one.

-If you take one, that means you cannot change anyone.

-Right.

-You're stuck in the first one.

-Yeah.

-They will not let you go.

THEY LAUGH

I guess you're never too old to learn new lessons in love.

You're too old? How old are you?

No, well, I'm 38.

-38?

-Yeah, I'm nearly...

-You're more old than me, only one year.

-Really?

-Yeah.

But you look so young.

Justin is obviously a bit of a smoothie,

and after tomorrow, he'll be even smoother.

Even though I'm here right now, I still... It's still unreal to me.

Yeah, I guess as it is getting very close, there is

a tickle of nervousness to me, but I've just got to take

the bull by the horns, so to speak, and just go for it.

Back at the airport, there's still no love for Tal.

Ay, ay, ay.

He needs money to transfer his ticket and he's getting desperate.

I need to jack someone! That's what I need to do.

Jack someone, right now.

Take their money off them and then catch my flight home.

Borrow a motorbike and just go and rob someone now.

It's the only option I've got. No-one else is going to help me.

I just don't know what to do.

I need to try and get the next flight back.

You want to change the ticket?

Do you want to change the ticket?

Tal decides to share his troubles with the tourist police.

I need help, I don't know what to do.

Newly engaged couple Pete and Becks can't help earwigging.

Basically, I'm just doomed right now,

I just don't know what to do, like.

I came here, like, six o'clock, and because of the immigration,

it just took too long to get through.

By the time I got past the immigration,

the flight was still there,

-but they wouldn't let me in.

-OK.

-I was ten minutes late.

What are they saying about the next flight?

-They say the next flight is eight o'clock tonight...

-Yeah.

..but it's going to cost me, like, 8,000 baht.

So, I've got no money on me, so I'm trying to contact someone.

Hopefully, they can sort it out.

Pete and Becks are sympathetic, up to a point.

I feel for him because his plans have been messed up,

-but that's why you should always have...

-He didn't leave long enough.

-Well, yeah - but always have emergency money.

-Yeah.

You should always have credit cards, some way of accessing money

if things like that happen.

Tal's only hope is to find a friend back home who'll send him the money.

Tourist police officer Baitong helps him get online.

I have to take care of some tourists who have problems, like that guy.

I have to help him.

But it's six in the morning in Wales,

not the best time to ask for a loan.

I'm trying to contact my brother, he's just not picking up.

It's the signal! The signal's weak.

This is the message I'm getting from my mates -

"You're full of shit!"

I just can't believe they don't want to help me.

How come you don't want to help me?

I said, "I need 150 quid!"

My mate's like, "I need to turn back."

I just don't know what to do. I'm in a situation here, now.

What's this, a witness thing going on, is it, or what?

What's going on here?

And now no-one wants to know. No-one wants to help!

It's a problem.

At last! One of his friends offers to help.

There you go, one of my mates might be coming through.

Mate, can I use your battery? My battery is running out.

If you can do that, I'd appreciate that, seriously.

Cos I am in a situation here and I really don't know what to do.

I've got one hour now to get on that flight.

It just all depends on how quick he can send this money now.

I'll have to go and check the bank now and hope for the best.

Ding, ding - second round.

So, Tal heads for the cash machines,

but if the money's not gone in, he won't be getting out.

Over in immigration,

Bert is planning a Valentine's Day surprise for his girlfriend Nat.

I will take someone to meet her tonight, but I didn't say who.

In Thai culture, family is everything and Bert's keen

that Nat gets approval from his favourite relative.

OK, I'm going to pick my grandmum up.

I think I will surprise Nat because I will take my grandmum

to Nat's counter and not through to immigration to do her passport.

And I introduce my grandmum to Nat.

Bert's not seen his granny for ages.

I miss her so much.

Long time no see, with her.

MUSIC: Ho Hey by The Lumineers

My grandmummy is 85 years old.

I think she hasn't seen me in this uniform before.

It is the first time for her to see me in immigration suit, just like this.

And there's another surprise coming up. As they approach

immigration, Bert casually drops Nat into the conversation.

So, the big moment arrives.

As Nat inspects Bert's granny's passport,

Bert's granny inspects Nat.

SHE SPEAKS IN THAI

So, does Nat get the stamp of approval?

The only one word that she said,

"Beautiful!"

For the true romantic, airports can be exciting places,

full of tearful goodbyes and joyful reunions.

At her desk in arrivals is information officer Jibbydoo.

How may I help you?

She has a front row seat.

What I love most, if we sit in the arrival hall,

you will see people crying when they meet each other.

And the happy time.

They kiss and they cry.

And I love it.

My heart is full of happiness. Yes.

And maybe because I live alone, that's why I need this feeling

so much. Somewhere that we belong

and...we feel...

..good. We feel loved, we feel warm. Yeah,

I need to be there.

But airports can be lonely places too -

full of disappointment, even betrayal.

Over at Tourist Police HQ,

a Swiss passenger is looking for assistance after he was stood up.

Lending a sympathetic ear is Officer Ake.

You have a flight, today?

-Flight?

-You have flight? Today?

-Flight?

-Flight.

-Flug?

-Ja. Zurich.

-Zurich.

After a six-month internet romance, Herr Poppykoffer

flew in from Switzerland to meet his Thai sweetheart.

She's supposed to be here, right? She's supposed to be here.

But today, she's nowhere to be seen and now he's lost his phone

he can't even call her.

He told me that she's supposed to be here to pick him up,

to go to a hotel, but she hasn't showed up.

She disappeared.

Ake tries getting hold of the woman on the number he's been given,

but it's all too much for Herr Poppykoffer.

He cries and I don't know what's wrong.

His first love, I think.

An e-mail. He's got an e-mail.

An e-mail comes through from the lady

explaining why she's not shown up.

Mein Gott!

Ladies, sorry.

She sends another number, so the officers give that a try.

Sir?

She call back now.

Unfortunately for Herr Poppykoffer,

his girlfriend doesn't seem that keen to see him.

Seems she's had second thoughts about their relationship.

Thank you.

And it turns out the lady is married with children.

After a brief conversation, the woman promises to meet him

in a Bangkok hotel tomorrow.

OK, stop crying.

But has she told him everything? Should the police step in?

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye. Good luck.

But in an affair of the heart,

even the tourist police are powerless to act.

We try to help him, but...

We said to him, "sorry".

We tried to help him,

but...

I do that, we do that we can do.

That's all we can do.

Still, it makes a change from the usual lost property.

In a way.

It feels like he lost something.

Is it a credit card or money?

No. He just lost girl.

Lost someone. It's all about love.

Over in arrivals,

Nathan from Merseyside's come for a family reunion.

On a scale of one to ten, how nervous am I?

About ten!

Nathan has hardly seen his parents, Pat and Ken,

since he moved to Bangkok four years ago...

-It's an amazing airport, isn't it?

-It's huge, isn't it? Yes.

..so when he didn't come back for Christmas,

they kind of invited themselves.

It came on a chance remark on FaceTime, on New Year's Day,

and I said, "Are you coming home at Easter?" He said,

"Oh, I don't know." And I said, "Or we could come there."

And so that's why we are coming.

They don't really know my life here,

so they don't really know that much about me.

Except for what I tell them on the phone, which isn't a lot, really.

Now they're here, Pat is determined to make the most of it.

Look here, water rafting. Are you going to go white-water rafting?

-Uh-oh!

-And climbing.

-Pat is the sort of person that says,

"Let's go elephant riding and white..."

-White-water.

-White-water rafting!

And other things like that. It goes on and on.

-It's quite concrete-y, isn't it, though?

-Yeah.

-They are quite concrete-y.

Sounds like Ken's more of the stay-at-home type.

I'm not really into travelling. I am a home bird.

You know, when you live on the Wirral, you don't need to

go anywhere else, really.

It's been a while, but Nathan seems to know what to expect.

They can't stop talking, so they'll have met people on the plane.

They'll be having a conversation.

Lots of people say to you, "Oh, you're so fortunate, going away.

"Where are you going? Oh, Thailand. Oh, I'd love to go to Thailand."

I imagine they won't be here on time. They'll be quite slow.

So, it was...was it...the E number, there?

What were we on?

They probably won't know what their bags look like either.

-That's yours!

-That one sneaked past me!

You're just trying to make me look silly!

There's another very good reason for Nathan's first-night nerves -

Pat and Ken have never met his new fella, Ark.

My boyfriend is here, so I'll be introducing them to him.

We've been together for about a year. And he's a lovely guy.

He's Thai and he speaks good Thai, which is good for them

because he'll be able to order properly in a restaurant,

which I can't do that well. My Thai is OK, but it's not great.

They've never seen him before.

So it'll be interesting to see their reaction.

Can you see him? I can see him, straight ahead over there.

-Hello!

-Hiya!

-It's lovely to see you.

-Great to see you.

-Take your mum's.

-Oh, gay pride!

-Yeah!

-Well done.

So, it's back to Nathan's to freshen up for dinner -

and the big meeting with Ark.

Are you in?

Hi, how are you doing? Thank you.

Justin's arrived at a Bangkok hospital for his face-lift.

Looking forward to getting in there, and, uh...

yeah, and seeing what happens next, really.

He's facing the surgeon's knife today and he knows nothing is going to be the same again.

Yeah, it's a strange thought,

that the image that you look at in the mirror

is not the one I'm going to wake up with, you know, so...

That has definitely crossed my mind this morning for sure, so, yeah...

It's exciting.

Pook has come along to help take Justin's mind off things

and she's soon back on her favourite subject - love and romance.

Last night my husband, he said,

"Oh, here you're falling in love for sure."

For all Thai women, take it good, and a lovely, then you start out

feeling warm and have something with the...who'll take care of you.

-Yeah.

-They're all lovely.

-Yeah.

In Thailand, it's a very romantic country, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And Thai women are soft -

-and take care of you all.

-Oh...

And I need taken care of. NURSE SPEAKS THAI

Mercifully, the nurse arrives to whisk Justin in for his consultation.

-Follow her.

-Follow her?

-Yeah.

-All right.

The op will be carried out by one of Thailand's leading

cosmetic surgeons, Dr Titi.

-Hi.

-Hi, I'm Dr Titi.

So, I'm here to tackle the problem

of these deep laugh lines that are around my eyes and my cheeks.

What I would like is so that when I do smile

it's very smooth and taut.

Just to really have that appearance reduced, you know?

We start from your hairline around here,

and then cut along in front of your ears,

-and then back down behind your ears around here.

-Right.

Then we pull it upward and backward

so the sideburn will be higher up a little bit, from here up to here.

-OK.

-So you might have to change your hairstyle a little bit.

Pre-operation nerves are definitely beginning to hit a little bit.

I don't know if that's because I've barely eaten anything

and I haven't had a coffee yet. But the risks, while small, are there.

Consultation over, it's time to get ready.

Well, this makes it very real now. Makes it very real.

So...

-Nice comfortable gown.

-Sorry.

-Oh, the slippers? Yes?

-For you.

Yeah, well, oh, lovely. Very comfortable.

He's comfortable for now, but it won't be long before

Justin is wheeled into theatre to face the scalpel.

Back at the airport, love's still in the air.

In his immigration booth,

newlywed Captain Jack's still happy.

He knows he's made the perfect match.

I am the one who cooks.

She doesn't cook.

And I, I don't do laundry thing.

So she do...she does...

laundry.

Laundry. Laundry.

I don't do. I don't do it.

I cannot iron.

I found the perfect one for me.

We are super in common

and when you've found someone really in common, you will let them go?

No. You will get married.

Across the airport, Sornrawee is still giving out free hugs.

Free hugs.

And now her colleague, Nokyoong,

has joined in with heart-shaped stickers.

This sticker I give everyone

today, only today.

Happy Valentine's Day, happy Valentine's Day.

For the couples, it's so special.

Many, many couples come to Thailand.

And Nokyoong's had a surprise present of her own

from an airport admirer.

This morning these flowers and Ferrero Rocher...

I cannot eat because fat...

I keep in my room.

So is this the start of a new romance?

-Surprise.

-Nokyoong's playing it cool.

Not sure. No, not sure.

Maybe in the future.

But not everyone's got that loving feeling.

-Let's just do this quickly, man.

-After missing his flight,

Tal spent nearly 12 hours trying to get a new ticket.

-Sorry, love.

-A friend sent him the cash...

-Sorry, sorry, sorry.

-..but will it hit his bank in time?

They declined my card, no. My mate just sent me money then,

so hopefully, if it goes through now, happy days. I'm home.

Knowing my luck, it's probably not in there.

Oh, man. Fingers crossed now.

English.

Balance.

Current.

Aw, it's not gone through.

MACHINE BLEEPS

Yeah, I'm not going to make it.

It's just not going to happen, is it?

It's half five now.

Six o'clock, she said.

But when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.

Tal gives it one last go at the airline desk.

My friend put the money in so hopefully it's gone through.

Oh, my God, so stressed.

Then a Valentine's Day miracle.

-It's gone, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Oh, my God, my heart is beating.

Oh, my God.

Somewhere between cashpoint and desk, his mate's money's gone in.

-OK, this is going to Abu Dhabi and then going to London?

-Yeah.

Oh, my God. I can give you a kiss right now, man.

No, thank you.

Check-in now, yeah?

Thank you.

Smell... I can smell freedom right here.

After all that stress I went through then.

Made it, man. ..'ell. Just can't believe it, like.

Big up to my mate Kane, Kane McKenzie, for sending me some money.

You know I'm not paying you back, bro. You know that, innit?

But having been here a whole day, he's now late for his flight again.

Bloody 'ell. It's like deja vu coming here, you know.

Where's D6? Where's D6?

D6?

Such a stress, all that, like. This is madness.

-Yeah, it's open.

-Tal just makes it to the gate on time.

It's taken the whole of Valentine's Day,

but he's learnt an important lesson.

One tip - check in on time.

While Tal jets off,

Nathan's brought his parents to a Bangkok riverside restaurant.

So that's a dinner cruise, I think.

He's going to introduce Pat and Ken to his new boyfriend Ark.

If we come here for breakfast tomorrow...

-Here's Ark.

-Hello.

-Oh, hi.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Good to meet you, Ark.

Good to meet you.

Mum, Dad - Ark.

Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Nice to meet you too.

Take a seat.

-Don't you think he looks like will.i.am a little bit?

-No,

he's nicer looking than will.i.am. You look much nicer than will.i.am.

When he smiles, he's a little bit... Look, that smile.

First impressions seem pretty good and Pat seems to be taking a bit of a shine to Ark.

You've got lovely dark hair, haven't you?

Can you do a Liverpool accent?

Say "chicken".

Chicken. No...

I like it, though. I really like Liverpool accent.

I think it's very... I like, you know, like...

-Like American, they have their Southern accent, right?

-Yes.

-There's something about it, it's very homely.

-Yes.

-When people have an accent like that.

Liverpool people are very friendly. We're very friendly, Northerners.

So, have things gone as well as everyone hoped?

It's always difficult to introduce your boyfriend to your parents

but my parents are getting on really well with Ark

and Ark doesn't seem uncomfortable to meet the family.

So, yeah, they're connecting really well, having a good conversation, having a good laugh.

Yeah, so, surprisingly well.

I was a little bit nervous in the beginning,

meeting the parents.

I meet them as a partner, you know what I mean?

So I was a little bit, you know, "Are they going to accept it?"

But I saw what Nathan inherited in himself.

He got a sense of humour from his dad, you know,

and something that he told me, he got it from his mum.

You know, things like that. It's nice. Lovely.

Art was really friendly, and very open about his family, and what he'd done in his life.

We had a nice chat. It was good, yeah.

Yeah, he's a good lad, isn't he? Really easy-going, yeah.

But most of Nathan's boyfriends have been easy-going.

Nathan's first boyfriend was a rugby player, wasn't he?

He had blonde hair. So there's a variety.

He hasn't got a standard stereotype, you know.

It's a new day at Bangkok Airport but love's still in the air.

Oh, my goodness.

Joy is coming to meet her boyfriend Saleem off the plane from Lagos

after three months apart.

I missed him so much, like, I'm so excited to see him.

It's been so long.

Her sister, Jewel, has been trying to keep Joy's spirits up.

I'm sure she would probably prefer to be with him

but we kept her company.

Yeah, yeah.

I'll probably cry.

Just being honest, I'll probably cry.

I'll be really, like, happy, like, overwhelmed.

Yeah.

-First it was tears of him leaving, now it's tears of joy.

-Yeah.

But three months is a long time.

Joy seems worried Saleem might be carrying some excess baggage.

I'm nervous of how he'll look.

Like he said, he's been eating a lot, so I'm kind of nervous

if he'll be, like, fat, so...

Holy...

Aaaah!

How are you?

-Oh, my God...

-How are you doing, guys?

Saleem's flown in with his sister

but after the briefest of hugs, they're off again.

I'll be back.

He forgot his phone somewhere, so he has to go get his bags

and get them.

-You work here, or something?

-No, I study here.

-Study here?

The tourist police office isn't the most romantic place for lovers to linger.

He looks different, a little.

He's a little chubbier. He's chubbier.

I'm sure he got some different variety of home-cooked meals.

I mean, before he had more muscle. Now it's more just food.

As Saleem goes in search of his phone, he knows the big reunion's

in danger of falling flat.

Today's supposed to be a happy day for me,

but this just ruined my mood.

I should be with my girlfriend right now, but I'm here.

I thought we were just going to get him and go, go eat probably

but, you know, it was different, so...

By the time Saleem returns, without his phone,

Joy and Jewel have to go to class, but they'll meet for dinner later.

Saleem can have the salad.

-I'll see you again, maybe.

-Maybe?

-Maybe...

-I'll see you again.

-Maybe?

Sounds like Saleem could be in danger of losing more than his phone.

Over in baggage reclaim, it's been a special day for Tantida.

She took time off her busy duties to do some light stalking.

Around belt 15.

I met my favourite singer.

I followed him.

-Hello?

-I can't find...

-12.

-12? Thank you.

-To the end.

Hello, we have met.

I think he's nice.

I just like him.

Many photos with his friends.

Tantida's heart-throb is one of Asia's biggest pop stars

and he's just made her day.

This morning is my best morning.

Only love can do that

and it comes in all shapes and sizes.

When Ray was posted to Thailand for work

he couldn't be parted from his best friends, Brusky and Hooey.

So I came from Atlanta, Georgia yesterday, about 24 hours ago.

I'm staying over here for one year

and couldn't live without my dogs over here with me.

Ray's a man who's devoted to his pets.

The airline I flew is fantastic for animal care.

They fly better than I have economy class before, so...

They have plenty of toys in there which they haven't chewed too much.

Now, this is the house I'm renting in Bangkok.

And this is where the dogs will swim, play and terrorise the yard.

Pets, just like humans, need the right paperwork -

including a certificate of health and an import permit on arrival.

To get them into the country, you've got to make sure they're healthy.

A lot of veterinarian certifications in your home country.

A lot of paperwork. A lot of payments.

Paperwork completed, there's one more hurdle to jump -

a spot check from the airport's own veterinary service

to make sure Brusky and Hooey are fit to enter Thailand.

With the dogs up to Thai standards, it's time for Brusky

and Hooey to meet their chauffeur and get a warm welcome to Bangkok.

Hello, my friend!

-You need to teach them Thai.

-Sawasdee krab! Say "sawasdee krab".

-Sawasdee krab.

-Sawasdee krab!

And like everyone after a long flight,

-you can't beat that first stretch of the legs.

-Aw...

All four of them.

Ready to go see your sister?

Welcome to Bangkok, my friend.

They'll keep me a lot busier but I should be able to settle down.

And it'll feel more like a home, versus a place to live.

So, Brusky and Hooey head off to begin their adventure

and they're not the only ones on the verge of a life-changing experience.

This is it. This is it. This is the last...

..couple of minutes, if you will, looking like this.

Justin's hoping his face-lift will bring him more luck with the ladies.

Yeah, it's like crunch time.

Sink or swim time.

Ah...

Operating room - says it all.

-Ready?

-I get in this chair, now, do I?

-Yes.

He's come to Thailand to lose his laughter lines

and it's working already.

I'm a little afraid to look down and see what's plugged in my arms

and things, but, yeah...and just the fact I'm in a different

country actually, too, you know, not... I'm far from home.

It's definitely crossing my mind right now.

I'm sure these people know what they're doing.

MACHINE BEEPS

Like a master tailor, Dr Titi wields his scalpel,

re-draping Justin's skin into a more youthful position.

Our job is to place the scar in a concealed area.

I think it's gone very smooth.

So... He should be fine.

I think it's very successful for this operation, yes.

Justin will have to wait a while before the bandages come off

and then he can enjoy Dr Titi's handiwork.

Back at Bangkok Airport, Valentine's Day is well and truly over.

Travis is stuck in immigration,

battling to keep his family together.

We were dreaming that we'd sort of, like, get through.

Go out and get a coffee and have a cigarette, get in a taxi...

Not going to happen yet, eh?

Ex-soldier Travis and girlfriend Jip have flown in to visit

her parents before starting their new life together in Australia

with daughter Rinrada.

They were hoping for a smooth ride through,

but they've been detained by Captain Bert.

Yeah, in this case...

the woman and the man have a family and they want to go to Thailand

but the man has something

irregular in Thai last time that he came here.

So he is on the blacklist here. So we try to figure it out.

I was deported from Thailand last year, about four months ago.

I had an argument with the Australian embassy

and then the Australian Federal Police issued

an arrest warrant in Thailand to bring me back to Australia.

So now that's in my passport, so they're just pulling me aside.

I think they're just going to ask me what went on.

It might not be as easy as Travis thinks.

The case will be handled by Bert's no-nonsense boss.

Sawasdee ka.

And she's not happy with his story.

Because Travis is on the immigration watchlist,

Muay must make a decision.

Can he stay or should he go?

The blacklisted name cannot enter in to my country

so we have to make a decision to allow to my country or not, later.

If Travis doesn't get in, he could end up in

the immigration detention centre - not the most romantic spot in the city.

The immigration detention centre here in Bangkok,

there's a few hundred people in a cell.

People taking turns to stand up. People are crazy

and dying in there and all sorts. It's really, really bad.

The last time Travis was deported, he missed a precious six months

of his daughter's life.

She's only one, so that's almost half her life I've missed already.

Inspector Muay shows little sign of leniency.

In the case of blacklist, I...

not think too much because he's no good guy, right?

Sorry to say, with him.

Travis?

What's going on?

Jip returns and it's bad news for Travis.

-So they say I can't leave the airport.

-Yeah, the airport.

But I have to stay in the airport?

His family can stay, but he's not going to be allowed in.

BABY CRIES

Australian Federal Police breaking up families again, fuckers.

Sorry about that.

Travis is led away down to the basement,

leaving Jip and Rinrada to travel on alone.

So they've told my girlfriend and my daughter they have to leave.

That's what I'm more worried about is Jip. She's still got to go north.

We've still got to take her back to her parents,

about seven hours away up north.

And then do it all by herself.

It'll be harder. It'll be harder.

And I've got to get a ticket out of the country ASAP.

I really don't know what's going on. I have to go back to Australia tonight. Apparently 12 o'clock,

I've got a flight back.

Travis has a tough battle ahead if he's to persuade

the authorities to allow him back in to see his family.

Ever since his face-lift surgery,

Justin's been keeping a low profile while still taking in the sights.

OK, let's go.

And today's the day the bandages finally come off.

Oh.

Oh, boy.

Oh, boy.

Oh, I just cannot believe the difference.

Oh, those stitches.

I look like Frankenstein.

Oh, the feeling in my stomach is just incredible.

A jaw and neckline now, I have now.

My profile is so much better

and when I go to smile

those laugh lines no longer

take over my face.

It'll take a while before the swelling subsides but the face-lift's

already lifted Justin's spirits and he's lost his heart to Thailand.

I love it! I understand why people come here now.

People are very welcoming of tourists, very kind.

It makes it hard to go home.

While Justin goes sightseeing, Pat and Ken are spending

their final hours in Bangkok looking back on their holiday.

-It's upside down.

-You said to me that you held it the other way around.

They squeezed in a few days on the island of Phuket

and Ken even had a go on the elephants.

It wasn't as scary as I thought it might be

on the back of the elephant, was it?

No, it wasn't scary.

They let you climb on a high platform to get on it.

You always think maybe you'd have to climb onto it

but you just get onto it sort of straight across, don't you, really?

But it's been about spending quality time with their son Nathan

and his new boyfriend Ark.

Having seen him in his environment, you feel he's in a good place.

He obviously feels settled where he is and that's as good as it gets,

-really, isn't it?

-I think that's the word, isn't it? Settled, really.

-He seems to know where he's going to and what he wants.

-And he's happy.

Yeah.

Yeah.

When Nathan first came out it wasn't easy for his mum and dad.

It came as a bit of a shock to us.

He just said, "I've got something to tell you," he said, "I'm gay,"

and the immediate thing is, "Poor old Nath."

He must have gone through all sorts before he came to tell us

because we're Christians

and you do get the stereotypical Christian view,

the standard view, and you know,

Nathan telling us that made us stop and think a lot more about the subject.

Can you do it?

I think if I put it on...

You're supposed to empty the water, as well.

Yeah, it was interesting. He said he was glad of his upbringing.

That it was quite a normal upbringing...ish. You know, that we did...

-That was a surprise.

-Yes, that was a surprise. Oh, there's your compliment.

Sometimes you think you bring your children up too strictly,

or you make them go to church. We did all go to church as a family.

So to hear him turn around and say, "I am quite glad I had that upbringing,"

-that was quite nice to hear, actually.

-Wasn't it, yeah?

Probably worth coming to Bangkok to hear it.

As they arrive at the airport, Pat's not sure who will miss her more -

son Nathan, or her new best friend Ark.

I gave Ark a hug this morning and he was really sad.

-He filled up, so it was nice.

-Filled up?

Well, filled up. His eyes filled up.

-It was nice.

-It's called relief.

-No, it's not.

-The blood came back into his face.

-He's going to miss me.

-If you're not going to miss me, Ark is going to miss me.

-Good.

When they first met Ark I was a bit worried,

but straight away they clicked and Mum fancied him, I think,

which is always good.

And he's good-looking and cute.

-And he's good-looking.

-Yeah, yeah.

Also heading home today is the new-look Justin.

Pook's come to see him off at the airport -

though he'd much rather be staying here.

You stay in Bangkok two weeks. How you feel?

Oh, like a new man, Pook.

-Like a new man.

-Yeah?

-You know, I...

-I feel refreshed.

-Yeah?

-Relaxed...

-Yeah?

Re-energised... Yeah.

Rejuvenated.

And it seems like his new look's working already

because Justin's found love and life is sweet.

When I came here you told me, you said,

"You'll fall in love with a Thai girl," and everything.

-True or not?

-Well...

-Yeah?

-Maybe, yeah. Maybe.

-I know it.

I thought you were joking, I thought you were joking.

-I not joking!

-I know.

-I know.

-I, I... I wasn't...

I didn't laugh at your joke, but now I...

Yeah, and now you say, "Oh, what Pook said is not joke, is true."

Yeah, well.

-She's a very nice girl.

-I know, I know. Let's see.

Not everyone finds love in Thailand.

Not Travis, who's separated from his family.

They've been told to leave.

They've been told to go home.

Not Herr Poppykoffer on his way back to Switzerland

after his ill-starred internet romance.

That's finished, lady.

But the only worry for Justin is how to get through passport control.

This is the first test of whether or not my new face matches my passport.

So...

And I'm sure Thai passport control will put it to the test.

Come on, mate. You've not changed that much.

-So have a super journey.

-Oh, thanks, Nathan.

-Thank you for coming.

-Thank you for having us and looking after us so well.

-No problem. See you soon.

-OK, good to see you, mate.

-Look after yourself.

-Thanks for looking after us.

Nathan's saying a last goodbye to his mum and dad.

Yeah, a little bit emotional to see them go, but it's been nice.

It's been a fun time, so...

I think they're happy to see me with a guy that I love.

Yeah, they're just happy to see me happy.

So it's sawasdee to the world's most loved-up airport.

Happy Valentine.

Happy with that, happy with that.

And remember, always arrive early for your flight,

take good care of your parents

and be careful when dating on the internet.

Next time at Bangkok Airport, there's no way out.

I've lost my British passport.

I'm stuck in Bangkok.

An ex-soldier stares defeat in the face...

I'm thinking about just

doing something stupid and getting in jail.

..there's mayhem at the Full Moon Party...

That was epic. 30,000 people raving on the beach.

..and the tourist police help out another customer...

MAN YELLS We not harm you.

..when we check in again at Bangkok Airport.